Ripping Wings off of Butterflies
by Fragments of Time
Summary: "This morning…" Naomi began, pausing and taking a deep but shaky breath in an attempt to gather herself, "This morning, I vomited blood." … "We'll get this figured out," Maria finally said, surprising even herself with how certain she sounded. "And then, we'll figure out what to do. None of us are- are going to let you die." / about two years post-TT, pre-established Naomi/Maria
1. Chapter 1

"Hey, what's up?" Maria asked, answering her phone. It was rare for Naomi to call during the workday, though upon occasion she would find her day not as busy and call to see if Maria was free for lunch together later. Or, on the flip side, there had been a couple of times where they had had lunch plans and a particularly difficult case had come up, especially if it was a murder and Naomi was concerned the culprit would kill more if not apprehended right away, and she had to cancel. As a doctor, of course Maria understood; there were times where she had to go out and save people, and it ran into her lunch breaks, sometimes even enough that she ended up standing Naomi up with no warning. She always felt bad for that, but it really couldn't be helped; particularly as someone who used to be a surgeon, though, Naomi completely understood and wasn't bothered.

The hesitation before Naomi replied was Maria's first sign that something wasn't quite right. They didn't have any plans for today, so she definitely couldn't be cancelling, and she wouldn't hesitate to suggest them; they had never been terribly shy around each other, and they certainly weren't shy with each other now.

"I'm at Resurgam," Naomi said, and from her tone it was obvious it wasn't a social visit. Besides, she was in the middle of a case; Maria would have been very surprised if she had been randomly stopping by. And if she had asked Gabe to check something for her, she still wouldn't sound nervous like this. That was concerning. "I have an appointment with Gabe. Will you come with me?"

There was a slight shake to her voice that really alarmed Maria. First of all, the fact that she was here for an appointment with Gabe obviously meant something was wrong, but moreover, she sounded _afraid_. It was the first time she heard fear in Naomi's voice.

"Of course. I'll be right there. Where are you?" She tried to keep the worry out of her own voice, instead wanting to sound reassuring. It wasn't entirely successful.

"I just came in… I'll come to your office."

"Okay."

Naomi ended the call. Maria rearranged her chairs so that they could face each other without being on opposite sides of the desk, if they wanted to sit. She didn't just get scared over nothing; Maria knew it had to be something serious.

It was a few minutes later that Naomi came into the room. She didn't knock, instead just slipping inside, and her arms were wrapped loosely around her body. Concern was evident on her features.

It was enough to make Maria want to hug her, but she could sense this was one of the times Naomi wouldn't be open to that. Naomi liked to cuddle, but counterintuitive as it might seem to some, it was when she was upset that she was more likely to refuse hugs or anything else of that sort. It wasn't like Maria couldn't understand that, though. A combination of stubbornness, general discomfort with one's vulnerable feelings, and being more self-reliant than one should be. That said, when it was with Naomi, she did welcome hugs herself.

Naomi swallowed thickly, trying her best to keep her emotions at bay. Tears were threatening to fall, and she kept trying to blink them away. "This morning…" she began, pausing and taking a deep but shaky breath in an attempt to gather herself, "This morning, I vomited blood." She turned away from Maria, pretending to be interested in the potted plant in the corner even though they both knew the real reason. She was hiding her face, because tears were beginning to escape. "And… I've been having chest pains again." The tremble in her voice was unmistakable now, and her shoulders trembled as she continued to try to force herself back to calmness, or at least not to cry harder.

It was in barely more than a whisper that Naomi spoke again. "I can't die, Maria. Not now…" She took another shaky breath. "I have you, and Alyssa… I can't leave you." Alyssa couldn't lose any more family than she already had, and Maria needed her too.

Maria also wanted to cry right now, but was able to make herself keep it together for the time being. Naomi needed her, and she felt like it would be better if she were able to stay calm.

Maria came over to put her arms around Naomi, although she did so slowly enough that she gave Naomi time to object or move away if that was what she wanted. Instead of moving away, however, Naomi moved to face her, hugging her and hiding her face in the crook of Maria's neck.

She rubbed Naomi's back, trying to come up with words. She was usually not one to be speechless in crises, considering her line of work, but this was different. She loved Naomi, and… this wasn't a crisis she could solve, at least not alone.

"We'll get this figured out," Maria finally said, surprising even herself with how certain she sounded. "And then, we'll figure out what to do. None of us are- are going to let you die."

Desperately, Maria wanted to believe that, even as her voice caught partway through from fear. If she were to be completely honest, she was afraid that it might be to the contrary. When Naomi had been infected with the Twisted Rosalia before, she…she had survived by such a narrow margin. Maria had honestly been afraid her body wouldn't be able to handle surgery at all, let alone heart-stopping surgery… with no heart-lung machine. She didn't want to need another miracle; until that day, she hadn't really even believed in them. …But this time they were catching it earlier, right?

Naomi nodded against her, trying to let herself believe those words. She knew that Maria's certainty was a lie, but it was a comforting one. If she was going to hold onto any semblance of hope, she needed to let herself believe it.

With Maria there for her, Naomi was able to calm herself within a minute. Even after doing so, however, she didn't move. For once, she would accept comfort, and maybe she could then go into the appointment without being terrified.

Once she felt like she was as together as it was possible for her to be right now, Naomi pulled away, although she also moved to hold one of Maria's hands. More for her own comfort than anything else. "Alright. Let's go see Gabe."

Despite Naomi's typical desire to do everything by herself and depend on no one to whatever extent possible, she was honestly incredibly glad to have Maria by her side through this.


	2. Chapter 2

"So," Gabe began, once Naomi and Maria had taken seats, "When you called me yesterday, you said you were having chest pains."

Naomi nodded. "I've had a low fever for a few days now, not sleeping terribly well and a small headache; I thought I was probably just overworking myself or had a cold. Something benign." She looked away. "Last night, I suddenly felt a sharp pain in my chest. It was… just like before. A sudden, sharp pain in my heart that brought me to my knees." She inhaled a breath that shook slightly from fear. "This morning, I vomited blood."

Gabe gave a nod, keeping himself impassive for their sakes. Normally he didn't have too much problem with being able to do so, but it was a little harder with it being Naomi. Although Maria was the only one at Resurgan in _love_ with the blue-eyed woman, she had been unquestioningly accepted into their little family here after helping with the Rosalia Virus. They all cared about her, himself included.

"Alright, let's see… a fever, difficulty sleeping, headache…" He was trying hard not to think of Shelly Brooks, his first Rosalia patient. That was what she had come in complaining of as well, after all… RONI added these symptoms into the database as he spoke them.

"RONI, add… the pain and vomiting blood." He hated to think about those symptoms; heart pain was serious in and of itself, but knowing where her Rosalia infection had been before… and joining that with vomiting blood…

"New symptom confirmed: sharp heart pain," she said. "New symptom confirmed: hematemesis."

Turning back to Naomi, he said, "I need to auscultate." Since she was a doctor as well, he hoped she would understand what he meant by that. He wasn't exactly eager to bluntly tell her to lift her shirt.

She nodded in understanding. Even if he had phrased it in that blunt manner, she would have understood. Particularly with the area in question being her heart, it wasn't surprising he would need to look at it. So, she lifted her shirt.

With his stethoscope in his ears, he began to listen. First to her lungs, which sounded normal, then her heart, which thankfully sounded normal as well, and finally, just to be certain, her stomach. Everything seemed fine, and he didn't see anything unusual either. No black bruise. Sitting back, he told her, "Alright, you can put it down."

She nodded. Judging by the fact that he didn't say anything to RONI, she assumed everything had come up fine, which was somewhat of a relief. Well, nothing felt wrong there, but the fewer symptoms she had, the better.

Next, Gabe scanned through her blood levels. There were a couple of things slightly off… nothing too serious, but he made note of it. He turned to them. "I think we should do some scans of your heart."

Naomi nodded, standing to go to the image lab. She took Maria's hand and brought the younger woman along as she followed Gabe there. Although she looked for all the world to be completely calm right now, Maria could feel her hand trembling very slightly. She lightly rubbed the top of it with her thumb, and when Naomi looked over, she gave her an encouraging smile. Although it was hesitant, Naomi gave one in return, not wanting to make Maria worry. The entire exchange was subtle, keeping it just between the two of them, even as they were right behind Gabe.

The scans brought back no good memories. When they were trying to figure out her genetic disease, she was pretty sure she had gone through just about every type of test available. Derek had been so determined… and yet, he hadn't been able to save her. Would this time yield better results…? Thankfully, they at least knew the affected area for right now, and what they were looking for. Gabe ran a couple of tests, then sent Maria and Naomi back to the exam room while he looked over the information they had so far.

In the hallway outside the exam room, however, another pain struck Naomi. She gritted her teeth in an effort to quiet her cry, dropping Maria's hand as she clutched her chest and fell to her knees. Unable to stop it from happening, she vomited blood onto the hospital floor. It was only afterwards that she became aware of Maria next to her, an arm around her shoulders.

"Here, let's get you back in here, then I'll get someone to take care of that."

Naomi nodded, letting Maria help her up and lead her back into the exam room and to her chair.

"I'll be right back," Maria assured her before running off.

Knowing she would be alone for at least a minute, Naomi let herself bury her head in her hands, trying to calm herself. She needed to try to trust that the doctors here would be able to save her. After all, they had before. …It had been a miracle, from what Maria told her. Sometimes she really wondered how she had managed to survive it.

"Naomi? Are you okay?"

When Naomi looked up in surprise at the voice, she saw Alyssa standing next to her, clearly concerned. "I'm fine, thank you. …What are you doing here?"

"I came to see you!"

She frowned. "How did you know I was here? Aren't you supposed to be at school?"

Suddenly, Alyssa's eyes filled with tears, spilling over within a few seconds. "Naomi, you can't die! I need you!"

Naomi felt a lump in her throat, and her own eyes were becoming slightly wet as well. "I- I know… I'm going to-"

This time it was Maria's voice that interrupted her. "Naomi? Who are you talking to?"

She looked up at the younger woman, then back at Alyssa, who was still standing there in tears. "Al-" She stopped herself in realization, looking away from both of them and at the floor. Her voice shook as she asked, "…Alyssa isn't here, is she." Her mind was flashing back to Veronica Cage's symptoms. Visual and auditory hallucinations…

Unable to hide the worry from her face, Maria sat down next to Naomi again, taking both her hands in hers. She wasn't sure if she would be able to speak without crying right now, and the question had clearly been rhetorical, so she stayed silent.

Naomi sat up and turned away suddenly, covering her mouth with her elbow as she coughed, sending a wave of pain through her chest. When she pulled her arm away, there was blood on her sleeve. With it being black and red already, it couldn't be seen, so thankfully she could avoid alarming Maria further for the moment.

With a voice calmer than it had been all day - and thus slightly eerie, given her frightening situation - she said, "Could you give me a minute?"

Maria was hesitant, but… "...Sure." She stood, putting a hand on Naomi's shoulder again. "I'll be right outside the room if you need anything, so… let me know when you want me to come back."

As much as she hated to leave Naomi alone right now, she wanted to give her some space if she needed it. It wasn't uncommon when Naomi was upset for her to want to take a minute alone so she could calm herself and not become visibly emotional. Even though she wanted to support her at times like that, she had come to accept that sometimes Naomi dealt with things best when alone.

Once Maria left the room, Naomi pulled the zipper of her shirt down, emotionally bracing herself as she looked down. ...Her hunch had been correct. She had asked Maria out of the room so as not to worry her unnecessarily if there was nothing to see, but… no, it was unmistakably there. A black bruise, spread near her heart and toward her lungs. She zipped it back up, knowing that the moment Maria or Gabe walked in they would see the bruise. It was exactly what they were hoping wouldn't happen.

"Maria?" Naomi went to the door, opening it to find Maria pacing in the hall.

As soon as Maria heard the door open she stopped, giving her full attention to Naomi. She hated doing nothing in awful situations, hence the nervous energy that could easily turn into frustration, which she paced to calm.

"Could you get Gabe for me?"

Maria nodded, reaching to take Naomi's hand in both of hers, even if only for a moment to give her a brief reassurance. The older woman didn't look afraid anymore, but she had to be, right? ...Maria was afraid, too, especially not knowing why Naomi was suddenly requesting Gabe. She really didn't want to leave her side, and even further this time.

However, before she could even take a step towards Gabe's office, he rushed out and towards them. "RONI said you needed me?"

Naomi nodded. "Let's go back into the exam room."

The three of them filed inside, two wondering what Naomi was needing to say and how she was acting so completely calm.

"I've begun having more symptoms," Naomi told him after they had all sat down. Straight to business as usual, she simply listed them. "I had a visual and auditory hallucination."

RONI added this to her database, just as calm as Naomi. On the other hand, it made sense for RONI to be calm because she was a robot… the same could not be said for Naomi.

"I coughed up blood."

"New symptom confirmed: hemoptysis."

Her eyes averted as she lifted her shirt, letting this one speak for itself. She felt like her words, or mind, wouldn't let her speak this final, undeniable confirmation.

"...RONI… add a new symptom: pigmentation spots…" Gabe said, trying to keep his calm as well. He was the doctor here - the one currently acting as a doctor - so it seemed like his duty.

"New symptom confirmed: pigmentation spots."

Naomi laughed briefly, and it was eerie as anything, because it just seemed so wrong for the situation. It was a bitter laugh, though. "I don't think there's any point to continuing the diagnosis. We all know what it is."

Maria objected, full of conviction. "No way! We've gotta figure out how to get rid of it! I know we can do it - we just gotta find out if it'll respond to the serum again and all that!"

Gabe sighed. "Maria, can I have a word with you?"

"No way in hell!" There wasn't even a moment's consideration before she objected. "This is about Naomi; we're not leaving her out of the conversation!"

Naomi, however, reached over to put a hand on Maria's arm. "It's okay. But Gabe, I assure you that whatever it is, I can handle it.

He ran a hand through his hair for a moment before saying, "...I'm sure you know this, Naomi, but heart stopping surgeries are incredibly dangerous. Having two in… less than two years, even, puts you at great risk for it not to start again."

"So what, we're just supposed to sit around and watch her die!? **To hell with that!** If that's the only chance we've got, we have to take it!" Maria had jumped up by this point, trembling with rage… and fear.

"No, he's right," Naomi told her. "That needs to be a last resort."

Gabe added, "I'll consult with the others. We'll find something, so… for now, just hang in there."

It was so cruelly familiar that Naomi wasn't sure whether to laugh or cry, but it really didn't matter because she felt too numb to do either right now.

Maria, on the other hand, was facing away from both of them and continuing to tremble. Her hands were curled into tight fists.

"You two can stay here if you like. I don't have any appointments for the rest of the day." With those words, Gabe left, though adding, "And if you need to reach me, or anyone else, just let RONI know. The advantage to being a robot is being able to be in the whole hospital at once, y'know."

"Thank you. I'll keep that in mind."

With that response from Naomi, he left. And the truth was, he hadn't originally had no more appointments for the rest of the day… but none of them had sounded terribly urgent, especially not compared to this. He had seen people pushed onto the brink of death within only a couple of days with the Rosalia Virus, and that was sans mutations. Compared to that, the flu was nothing.

Once he had left the room, Naomi went to Maria, coming around to put her arms around her.

"Damn it!" Maria exclaimed. and if not for Naomi's arms around her she may have punched a wall or something just then. "We're gonna figure this out! We've gotta!"

Naomi stayed silent, because there was just… nothing to say to that. She wasn't sure that it was something that could be figured out. She wasn't sure there was anything they could do to keep her alive. Instead, she felt she needed to get the most important thing out of the way first. So when Maria had started to calm, at least enough to still, she pulled away to look her in the eyes. "You're not going to like what I'm about to say," she told her, wanting Maria to prepare herself for it, "but I need to know this. ...I already know, but I need to hear it." That was irrational of her, she knew, and she typically didn't like being irrational… but for right now, she would let herself be. This was too important.

Maria nodded, understanding. She had a feeling she knew what was about to come next.

"If something does happen to me, will you take care of Alyssa? ...I need to know that she's going to a good home, with someone who loves her and is already family to her." Alyssa couldn't lose her only family, not again. Even losing Naomi was so much… God, the poor girl didn't deserve to be put through so much grief! But if that was unavoidable, she at least wanted to do what she could.

"Of course," Maria promised, no hesitation at all. "I promise, I would take good care of her." Her serious one gave way to a somewhat frustrated determination again at her next words: "But I'm not going to need to, got it!? You're not going to die; we won't let that happen! We can't!"

Naomi moved closer again, putting her head on Maria's shoulder. It was honestly much more for Maria's sake than her own.

Tears stung at Maria's eyes, but she refused to let them fall. It felt like that would be admitting defeat… admitting helplessness against the Virus. She couldn't let that happen. No way, damn it. They were going to fight this thing again, and they were going to win again. That was the only option.


	3. Chapter 3

"I should go to work," Naomi said. Knowing Maria would object, she added, "Murders don't solve themselves, and murderers are unlikely to be so considerate as to refrain from killing until my health returns."

Maria gritted her teeth, wanting to object. But the truth was, she knew she would do the same thing if the question were ever to arise. "Fine," she grumbled. "But I'm coming with you, you aren't allowed to push yourself, and we're coming right back here when Gabe or someone calls to say they've figured it out." At least if she agreed that meant she could bargain.

Naomi smiled. "Fair enough. Though, I doubt Gabe will be as supportive of-" She inhaled sharply to silence a cry of pain, then started to collapse. It seemed out of nowhere, like she couldn't breathe and her legs suddenly gave out… all without warning, as all the attacks with this disease seemed to be.

Of course, Maria caught her. She brought Naomi to the ground gently, not wanting to try to hold her up entirely... and knowing there was a chance she could begin to convulse. But wanting to stay close and wanting Naomi to be comfortable, she sat her slightly up so that she was supporting her, arms around her and letting Naomi lean into her, the side of her head resting on Maria's chest.

"RONI, could you tell Gabe to come here?" Naomi's voice was audibly out of breath, which made sense as her heart was beating faster than it ought to be. Both dangerous signs.

"Of course." A second later, she said, "Dr. Cunningham is on his way."

Gabe all but ran back. As he burst in the door he said, "I heard you called for me?" He knew Naomi well enough to know that she would likely avoid doing so if it were at all even remotely possible, not wanting to be worried over. Spotting Maria knelt by her on the floor did not help, either.

"I collapsed," she told him. "It felt like my heart skipped a beat and there was pressure on my chest, then I suddenly began to collapse. After the pressure lifted, my heart has been beating faster and I feel short of breath."

Gabe tried not to look worried, but it went without saying that he was horribly so. The condition was getting worse quickly, as it always did. They didn't have much time left. "The Kid thinks he can operate. He says that even should he be unable to remove it entirely, he can get more information on it... and maybe a sample to run tests on. He's hopeful he won't have to stop your heart this time."

"... Alright. I don't think we have any other-" A gasp of pain stopped her words. "-choice."

"Yeah. I'll go get them to prep the O.R." His tone serious, he told her again, "Hang in there, Naomi."

"I'm trying," she said, sincere. She didn't want to say 'I will' or anything like that, because she didn't feel certain at all. She was breathing hard, and it hurt to do so.

He nodded, and at her uncertain and pained tone, he hurried back to the other doctors.

"Hey, Maria…?"

Completely attentive, Maria responded as soon as her name was said. "What is it?"

"While I'm in there, could you call me in sick to work for the next couple of days?" She started to give a small, forced laugh to lighten the tension, but she stopped with a whimper when it caused another stabbing pain to hit her. "I only said I'd be a bit late, but… well. Please don't tell them what's wrong, though. I don't like everyone fussing over me."

_They're 'fussing over you' because this is a dangerous situation and you could die_, Maria wanted to say, but she didn't dare. For one, that would require her to admit that it was a very real possibility for Naomi not to make it through this. That said… "I'll have someone else do it; I want to go in with you. I can assist; I did it last time."

Naomi looked at her carefully, evaluatively. It was hard to imagine Maria, or _anyone_, really, able to calmly assist while their loved one was being operated on, knowing it was very likely they wouldn't make it. Then again, if she had done so before… "Okay," she said softly, "As long as the surgeon is fine with it, I am too." She cuddled against Maria, taking comfort in her presence.

Maria smiled, although it wasn't fully genuine; she was glad she would be able to stay by Naomi's side, but it was impossible for her to be honestly happy when she knew how much danger the other woman was in.

Naomi turned away suddenly, covering her mouth with her elbow again as she fell into a violent coughing fit. It was clear that she was in pain from it, and Maria rubbed her back in an effort to ease it or at least give her something to feel other than that pain.

When she was done coughing, she could feel blood on her arm, soaked through the fabric of her sleeve, and she felt dizzy. She knew her fever had risen, as well.

_Please let them be ready soon…_ Both of them were pleading this silently, all too aware that if she didn't get this removed soon, she really wasn't going to make it. Maria almost wanted to fool herself into a comforting lie, but she wasn't the sort of person who could do that. Naomi, meanwhile, had already reached a numb acceptance earlier. She was hoping her death could be averted once more, but at the same time, she didn't really believe it to be possible.

It was barely ten minutes later that Gabe ran in. "Alright, we're all ready. Let's go get you prepped."

"Can you stand?" Maria asked quietly.

It was with some embarrassment but complete honesty that Naomi answered, "...I'm not sure. Could you help me up?"

"Of course." Maria gently started to help her to her feet. But as soon as she had gotten to the point where she needed to support her own weight, her legs refused and she fell against Maria… who, half expecting that, had been careful to hold her in a way that would ensure her ability to catch her should that happen. "I got'cha," she assured her.

Naomi looked up at her with a weak fragment of a smile. "Thank you. ...Gabe, could you bring a bed here?" Her smile dropped with her request. She hated that being necessary, and yes, it did hurt her pride… but her life was more important than her pride.

Last time she had been on the verge of death, she really hadn't cared if it took her life; she knew she only had a couple of months at most left to live anyway, so it really didn't matter. She had just given up. But now she truly wanted to survive, and… it seemed like much too cruel a fate for her to die now. And yet, wasn't that how things usually worked out? That bitterness was what led her to remain numb, but honestly that numbness was something of a savior; if not for that, she would probably be terrified. Not to mention that if she were to become emotional, it would likely exacerbate her symptoms and further worsen her condition.

"I'll be right back with it," he assured her.

There was an uncomfortable pause after he left, Naomi feeling embarrassed to need such a thing. "...Well, at least I won't end up unconscious on the hospital floor this time," she murmured. It wasn't funny, but neither was it really meant to be.

"You won't," Maria agreed. "Because we're gonna get you into surgery, and Erhard is gonna save you, and you're gonna be fine!" She spoke vehemently, tears threatening to fall.

Carefully, Naomi kissed a tear away. She didn't want to disagree with her, but she also still didn't want to make promises she couldn't keep. ...She also didn't want to kiss her on the mouth and infect her; with a mild cold she might risk it, but there was no way in hell she would when it was something this serious

But as she looked into Naomi's eyes, Maria could read that expression. The one that clearly said Naomi did not expect to see tomorrow. "You're gonna live, damn it!" She hated that she was now crying, but it barely even mattered. "You have to live, you hear me!? You're- you're not allowed to die! He's gonna operate, and he's gonna save you!" Her voice gave way to quiet sobs as she spoke, and Naomi simply held her, not knowing what else to say or do.

"I love you, Maria." If… If there was any chance this was going to be the last time she was able to say it and be heard, she was absolutely going to make sure she said it.

"I love you too," the younger woman replied, letting her head rest on Naomi's shoulder even as Naomi was the one leaning against her. Her whole body was shaking, and she made no effort to hide the fact that she was crying at this point.

When Gabe entered, walking in on that scene, he quietly cleared his throat so as to announce his presence.

Naomi looked up at him and saw that he had brought Erhard, Hank, and Tomoe. And, of course, a bed.

"...I called in someone else," Gabe said, and he grinned just a bit with confidence and an effort to lighten the mood as he added, "Old friend of yours, I think? ...Stiles?"

"Derek? But…"

"He left right away, so I'd say he should be here in about… fifteen minutes. Emergency flights and all." He gave a small laugh at the surprise in Naomi's expression, even as he and Maria were helping her onto the bed to go get her prepared for surgery. "As soon as the Kid talked about operating, we called 'im for a consult, but he decided to rush in and do it himself. So we'll get you ready, and by that time he oughtta be here."

As much as everyone had great faith in Erhard, the truth was that everyone knew Derek to be among the best. His Healing Touch gave him an advantage that few other doctors had.

That said, that meant Angie would be assisting him… "I want to be in the room with her," Maria said.

The other doctors sort of looked at her, having no idea how to tell her that, no, she really couldn't. Maybe she had been able to assist before, but right now she was in tears and might distract from the operation. That went doubly so if she was going to be a spectator.

Naomi reached for Maria's hand, by now lying down. "Wait for me outside the room, alright? Derek's not used to being watched, and I don't think he's ever been assisted by anyone other than Angie."

"I don't want to leave you alone!" She used both her hands to hold Naomi's, as if to underscore this.

She gave a gentle smile. "You won't be. Derek and Angie are old friends, and… you'll be right outside the room. I'll know you're there." As well as anyone can know anything once they're under anesthesia, that is. But it wasn't like she would know Maria was by her side even if that were physically the case, either. Once one was unconscious, they weren't really aware of anything… that was the point.

Unhappy as she was about it, Maria forced herself to nod. "Fine. But I'm going to stay by your side every minute until they get here."

"...Okay." And honestly, she appreciated that. She appreciated that Maria was by her side, but more than anything else, she appreciated having all these people who cared about her. ...Naomi almost wanted to apologize, to tell them not to feel guilty if they couldn't save her.

Instead, everyone stayed silent as they took her in to get ready for surgery. The last thing she saw as the anesthesia was taking effect was Maria giving her the best smile she could through her tears and telling her everything would be okay. "...I love you," Naomi murmured, because she was barely conscious and that was the only thing she could make sense of right now. She saw Maria's lips move, hearing no sound but knowing instinctively what was being said, then succumbed to the anesthesia.


	4. Chapter 4

"Alright. You've already been briefed on the details before we arrived, but let's go over them one more time," Angie said. She, Gabe, and Erhard were present, the latter people being the ones who knew most about Naomi's condition. Save for Maria, who had both of their knowledges about it combined - having been present at the original surgery and by Naomi's side all day - but who wasn't particularly inclined to move right now. True to her word, she was going to stay with Naomi until Derek actually came in to begin the operation.

"Our patient is thirty-two year old Naomi Kimishima. She seems to have a new, unknown mutation of Rosalia focused on her heart. No other information on it is known and her condition is weak, so extreme caution must be used. That said, we have only one objective for this operation:

"-Extract all virus colonies.

"It's important that we remove all of it now, because it's unlikely her body will be able to withstand two surgeries."

Derek nodded. It wouldn't be easy; that much was obvious, and the reason why he flew in for this appointment. "I will save this patient!" he declared. "Let's begin the operation."

As they got ready to start, Maria grudgingly left the room. It was true that she didn't want to do anything to distract them, so… that had to come first right now. Even so, she had every intention of waiting right outside the door so she would be the first to hear the good news. Because it would be good news - it had to be. Derek and Angie would come out and tell her that they had successfully extracted everything, and maybe they would do a follow-up later or something, but for now Naomi was okay again. She tried to keep that thought in mind, as if picturing it enough would guarantee it.

With Maria pacing, obviously agitated with worry, Tomoe sat on the bench nearby. She knew that at the moment there wasn't really any way to calm her, although she would try in a few minutes if the other woman continued to pace like this. Anyone would be worried about their loved one, though; she remembered her own experiences with her father. It had been a bit different though, having been able to be the one to operate… She could only imagine how terrible she would feel if she had been powerless to help him, only able to wait until somebody else told her whether or not they had been able to do so. That was too awful a feeling, she was sure.

In the operating room, Derek was opening Naomi up. He and Angie were prepared for the worst, having been told by Erhard the details of the previous surgery… how it had taken over her entire heart. Somehow, that didn't stop them from being surprised at what they saw.

Seeming to cling to the side of her heart was… it looked like a giant cocoon. It looked like it had giant claws from its side, and they were wrapped around the underside of her heart, coming around to lightly pierce the other side of it.

"...This is going to be difficult. But right now it doesn't seem to be doing anything, so it may be better to look into the tumor shadows Dr. Cunningham mentioned on her lungs," Angie suggested. "Use the magnification tool."

Derek did as suggested, working at the tumors. It was better to tackle things that might drop the vitals before doing anything with the giant virus, in case it had some sort of defense mechanism. It wouldn't surprise him if that were the case.

"Good. Tumor extraction is going smoothly." A couple of minutes later and Angie could happily say, "All tumors have been removed. Next we should move onto the virus…"

Derek nodded, raising Naomi's vitals as much as he could with the stabilizer, then returned to view the affected area.

"Dr. Muller said this antiserum was able to eradicate the Rosalia last time, but that it took a couple of injections. Be prepared."

Since she had gotten the antiserum ready, Derek was ready to inject it. As soon as he did, however…

"She's flatlining! Preparing- No, we can't defibrillate like this!"

"I'm going to massage the heart," Derek told her instead, keeping his calm as always. It wasn't the first time he had operated on someone he was close to - Dr. Kasal came readily to mind - so it didn't bother him to think about just whose heart was flatlining right now. She was the patient and he desperately wanted her to live, but that meant staying calm so he could do his best.

"We have a pulse," Angie said as soon as it was true. "But- Doctor! What's…?!"

Lacerations were suddenly appearing on Naomi's heart.

"We have to find the cause - use the ultrasound!"

Derek was already on it, checking around the heart. Sure enough, there were viruses under the surface. They weren't shaped like Kyriaky; if he had to take a guess, he would compare them more to Paraskevi.

"What…" She quickly composed herself. As his assistant, he was relying on her to remain calm as well. If she panicked, she wouldn't be able to advise him, and that was what she most needed to do. "Let's try to remove it like the Kyriaky. It's possible the Rosalia and her genetic disease relapsed together and mutated in a new way, so it may be related to GUILT."

Nodding, Derek cut one of the hidden viruses out. Whether they were more similar in structure to Kyriaky or Paraskevi, the laser would have some sort of effect on them. Since they were small, if they were more similar to Paraskevi, they could simply be removed as they were. That would probably be ideal, since it wouldn't require as much use of the laser.

To both of their surprise, however, the laser had no effect. The virus didn't seem to be hurt in the least.

"Try the scalpel," Angie suggested. When she saw him try it to no avail, she frowned. "Try… extracting it with the forceps." The virus moved too fast. "Antibiotic gel?" It had helped with Deftera… Alright, yes, it was kind of a long shot, but there was no way he would be able to inject the antiserum like this; it was still moving too fast.

Much to both their surprise, it made the virus stop moving.

Angie hesitated before saying, "...Use the antiserum, but be prepared for anything…"

He did as told, of course, as it was the logical thing to do… and suddenly, the virus began to pulsate. Quickly, Derek covered it with more antibiotic gel in an attempt to stop it, but it didn't respond. He tried the laser, the scalpel, even the drain… and none of it did anything.

"It- it may need more antiserum."

Derek nodded, although he was a bit nervous. After the other virus reacted so poorly to the antiserum, it was slightly nerve-wracking to inject this with it. But thankfully, upon injecting it, the virus simply faded away.

"Alright. Treat the others," Angie told him, referring to the fact that viruses were still present under the surface.

Derek treated the remaining two in the same manner, this time able to skip the fumbling around for the right treatment - stop it with antibiotic gel, inject the antiserum twice. It seemed-

"Whoa-!" Angie backed up, startled. "D-Dr. Stiles…!"

The cocoon opened up, the claws moving rapidly to create lacerations on her heart, and something that looked like a Rosalia colony colored moth took a spot in the middle of her heart. With each flap of its wings, which occurred in time with the beating of her heart, a new tumor appeared on her lungs.

"Don't die on me…!"

With the concentration brought on by the desperate situation, Derek activated his Healing Touch. As quickly as he could, he began to suture the wounds-

No… there was a thick membrane over the heart. Readying the laser, he tried to remove it like that, and it began to weaken…

…Until Naomi's heart beat again, causing the virus to flap its wings, and the membrane reformed. No…! He- He had no choice; he needed to use his Healing Touch again!

He activated it a second time, and this time he focused on trying to remove the damn virus, because it was only going to keep adding additional wounds. He began to inject it with antiserum, because it couldn't send her into cardiac arrest when he had stopped time. Inject it with more… more… was it even working? He was getting dizzy, but he couldn't give up! If he let his concentration slip right now, Naomi would die; there was no question about it.

He continued to inject it with antiserum, but his vision was starting to go out. Stubborn, he refused to give up… but before he knew it, he passed out.

Angie was shocked. She knew Derek was activating his Healing Touch, hearing his words and then his speed, but it seemed like one moment things were going fine and the next he was suddenly on the ground; she hadn't even seen him fall. All she knew was he was on the ground and Naomi was flatlining. Damn it! She considered reaching in and massaging the heart herself, but there was no use. Could it even be massaged like this, with that… thing there?

It… It was hopeless. Naomi's heart wasn't beating and it would honestly probably be impossible to do anything like this. She disconnected the machine; Naomi was… Right now, Angie refused to think about it too deeply, because she knew that once she let herself process it, she would cry for a while. Right now she needed to notify the doctors waiting for the surgery to end, and she needed to help get Derek safely to a room where he could rest until he regained consciousness. After that… maybe.

This was the worst part. Opening the door, she went out to give the news.


	5. Chapter 5

As soon as Angie stepped out and Maria saw the expression on her face, Maria stepped back. "No." She refused. She completely and utterly refused to hear what Angie was going to say.

"I'm sorry-" Angie began, but before she could say anything else Maria interrupted.

"I said no, damn it! No! No… Damn it! ...Damn it…"

For a moment Tomoe thought she might have to stop Maria from rushing at the nurse, but then she broke into sobs. Tomoe started to go over to hug her and try to offer some comfort, but as soon as she began to move her arms toward her, Maria jerked away.

"Don't touch me, damn it!" She was shaking. "I'm- Everybody leave me alone!"

Turning, Maria all but ran away, going out to the rooftop where she often went when she needed to think or perhaps hide out for a while, like she was now.

As soon as she was through the door and thus knew she was alone, she collapsed to her hands and knees on the ground. "Damn it! Damn it… Damn it!"

There were no other words that could express her emotions right now. She should have- he- _somebody_- _anybody_ should have done something differently. Something must have been possible to save her! Maybe Gabe should have made her come in earlier, or Erhard should have been the operate, or _she should have been there with her_.

And that was the worst part. She had wanted to be in there with her, and at least then she would have… been there for Naomi in her last moments. Even if all that meant was holding her hand while Naomi was unconscious, that was… it was _something_. She knew that Naomi hadn't been aware of anything when it happened; she couldn't have felt scared or in pain, because she had been under the anesthesia. Still… she just… she should have been there for her!

Choked sobs continued to escape her, curses coming intermittently.

How could she have abandoned her…?! She should have been there for her. She should have stayed by her side! This was just… so completely wrong. She should have been there for Naomi. It was bad enough for her to have had to pass away in a cold, sterile room, but it was even worse for her not to have even had any loved ones by her side… No matter what, all she could think was that _she should have been there._ No matter what Tomoe, or Derek or Gabe or anyone said, she should have stayed with her! What had it mattered in the end; she stayed away so they would save her - that meant they had to save her! They had- they were supposed to save her, damn it! God damn it…!

She continued to sob, because god, what did it matter?! Naomi was gone; she couldn't be gone!

She couldn't feel her fists because she had hit them on the ground so many times.

It was hours later that Maria finally calmed, moving from this into disbelief. Alyssa was going to be home from school soon. And god, how the _hell_ could she tell Alyssa that… She forced herself to stand, because Naomi hated for her to have to come home to an empty house.

"Oh… Maria!" Tomoe exclaimed, standing and somewhat surprised. She had been sitting on a bench nearby, hoping there was something she could do to help. "Are you…" There was no point to asking if she was okay. There's no way she could be. Her question was cut off anyway by her noticing Maria's hands. "Your hands… Here, let me see!"

Maria pulled away. "I'm fine. I have to go. Alyssa is going to be home soon."

And honestly, Tomoe knew there was no way to dissuade her from leaving right now. Even if she offered to go pick Alyssa up from school and bring her here, she just knew Maria would refuse. But Maria would have Alyssa, so… she should be alright. Still, she put a hand on Maria's shoulder. "If you need anything, call me."

"...I will. Thanks." Because as stubbornly independent as she tended to be, even Maria knew now that there was a limit to what she could handle by herself, and… well, of course this would hit that limit for anybody. She gave Tomoe a hug before asking, "Can you tell Esha I'm leaving?" ...There were only so many concerned people and "how are you"s and "I'm sorry"s Maria could take at a time. It was fine coming from Tomoe just this once, but right now that was all she wanted.

"Of course," she replied. They both knew that Esha would completely understand; most likely she would offer Maria the next few days off, and certainly no one could expect her to work today.

"Thanks." With that established, she left.

Naomi's things were still in her office, but Maria couldn't really bring herself to go near them yet, even as she was about to go into her house. She had a key and a drawer, closet space, things like that there already; she practically lived there most of the time, and right now she was hating having not been there last night, but she couldn't let herself dwell on things for now. That had to wait until after Alyssa had gone to bed or something.

She watched herself drive as if it were a movie, watched herself sit on the couch and wait for Alyssa to get home. She was pretty much right on time, too, because it was only ten minutes later that Alyssa came in.

"Maria!" Alyssa put down her backpack and then, excited as always, came over to hug Maria. The fact that it was Maria instead of Naomi wasn't out of place at all, because there were times when work ran over for Naomi and so Maria greeted her instead. However, when she pulled away, she immediately noticed her troubled expression. "What's wrong?"

God, she didn't want to tell her. How could she tell her? Alyssa had already lost the parents who had raised her for eight years of her life, and now she was losing the woman who had raised her for nearly two years after that… Sure, Maria had played a big part in that too and liked to think of herself as close to another parent, but either way, Alyssa shouldn't have to lose yet another parent. "Sit down," she said gently.

The seriousness of the situation was clear from Maria's tone, and Alyssa got worried. She sat, looking worriedly up at her.

"Alyssa, Naomi… got sick," she began, voice quiet.

"Is she in the hospital?" Alyssa was a little worried about that, but she trusted the doctors at Resurgam lots. After all, they had saved her when she was hurt so badly, and they saved Naomi last time she got sick, so she had complete faith things would be okay.

...Technically, yes, but… not in the way Alyssa was thinking. Or more like… the physical location of her body was really irrelevant. Searching for words, she took Alyssa's hands in her own. "Alyssa, Naomi is… She's gone."

"Gone?" she repeated weakly, eyes already watering. It wasn't the first time she had heard words like that, and while last time she had asked to confirm what the euphemism was saying, this time she knew.

Maria put her arms around Alyssa and held her close. There were no words that could help the situation, so she just stayed silent. ...Part of that was also because she was struggling so hard not to cry herself, and the fact that Alyssa was sobbing into her shoulder only made that even harder. "You're not alone," she assured her, voice trembling. "I promise. I'm gonna come live here with you, okay?" It would hurt to live in this house without Naomi, but at the same time, she couldn't bring herself not to. More importantly, Alyssa shouldn't have to move again. She had settled into this house in her time living here, so the least that could be done was to not make her have to uproot again. Alyssa nodded, because she loved Maria and was glad not to be completely alone, even though she was devastated by the loss of her other adoptive mom.

After she calmed, Alyssa pulled away so she could look at Maria. "Wh-what was she sick with?"

It was best to be honest, Maria felt. "You remember that disease that Naomi got sick with before?"

Alyssa nodded.

"Well… that disease came back, and… this time it was worse. The doctors all worked really hard to help her, but they couldn't."

She was crying again, having to face this sort of reality a second time. Maria held her, and this time she couldn't help crying as well. No words were exchanged this time, even after Maria and then Alyssa had stopped.

"...Are you hungry?" Maria finally asked.

Alyssa shook her head. It had gotten late enough that normally she would have eaten by now, but she was still too sad to be hungry.

"Me neither," she admitted. "But we should try to eat anyway. We won't feel better being hungry." Pulling away, she gave something of an encouraging smile. "What do you want?"

"I don't know," Alyssa answered.

"Alright… how about some pizza?" Comfort food. When Alyssa nodded, she rubbed her back and said, "Okay. I'm gonna go order it. ...Everything is gonna be okay."

It was said to convince herself just as much as Alyssa.


	6. Epilogue

Funeral preparations had not gone smoothly. The main problem was Naomi's parents. Maria knew a little bit of Japanese here and there, but she was hardly fluent enough to manage a conversation like this. So, she'd had to ask Tomoe to relay things back and forth as translator when she called. Obviously that was less than ideal in the first place, but… they didn't take the news well. They refused to come to the funeral.

There was a part of the conversation where Tomoe had been talking to them, sounding surprisingly impassioned, but had left Maria out of the loop. ...She knew what it was about, though. Naomi has never told her parents about the relationship between them, and hearing it for the first time, they must be twice as upset as if they had heard it under normal circumstances. She had never even told them. ...Or maybe they didn't care about that and were completely so upset about the "shame" homosexuality brought to their family. Maria was glad she wasn't on the phone because she honestly would have probably yelled at them. Their daughter was dead; how could they be upset who she had been in love with?!

In the end, they had refused to come. Tomoe had been twice as upset, thinking that to be the only reason, but Maria calmed her down, because she knew otherwise. She knew about the death of Naomi's sister so many years ago, and how they still tried not to think or talk about her whenever possible. It went without saying that that would go just as much for Naomi; they didn't want to face her death.

In the end, it had been a small group that had come, all of them friends who were pretty near family, then Alyssa and herself. Still, it just seemed… sad that her own parents had refused to come.

Despite the group being so small, Maria felt self-conscious as she stood in front of them all. She was speaking, because… she was the only one who knew all of Naomi's past. Little Guy knew most of it, but… not everything. In the end, nobody knew her as well as Maria did. So she had felt she should be the one to speak.

"Well, I… don't really need to introduce myself," she said with a small, forced laugh. Tomoe, Hanzou, Gabe, Hank, Erhard, Derek, Angie, Esha, Alyssa, and Little Guy were the only audience. "I've never done this before, and I'm not really good with words, so… sorry if I do it completely wrong." She was trying, and failing, to lighten the mood. That was what she did; when things got sad, she tried to cheer everyone up. But right now, that just wasn't possible.

"...Naomi was from Okinawa, Japan. ...As you can see, her parents… didn't come. She, uh… She used to have a sister, but…" She stopped, shaking her head. "I know I'm supposed to talk about her life and all that, so you can hear all about how she grew up and got to be the person she is, all those things… but that's not even what she would have wanted. The truth is, Naomi didn't like most of her past. She- she had to face a lot of really hard things, and she made some mistakes along the way. She wasn't proud of those mistakes, and she didn't like thinking about any of it. I don't want to dredge all that up just because it's 'the way things should be done'!" She looked into the audience, and when nobody seemed to want to object, she continued.

"Here's what I'm going to say instead. Naomi got through a lot of really tough things, and was all the stronger for it. She's amazing. Despite everything, she got into a really good college, and she completed med school. And when she became a surgeon, she found out that she had the Healing Touch ability." She knew that came as a surprise to everyone from Resurgam, but continued anyway. "Her ability, it was amazing. When she used it, the patient's vitals would raise while she operated! She was able to save lots of people because of it. ...But when people found out, they didn't take it well. So there were more difficult things, but she came to be a surgeon in America, until her genetic disease developed and she couldn't operate anymore. A lot of people would have been completely discouraged by that, too, but Naomi? She just went and got a new job as a forensic analyst at CIFM, and she was amazing there too! She had an ability, and it was probably for the same reason as her Healing Touch, that let her hear the last words of someone who had died.

"Naomi was so dedicated to that job." Maria could feel tears threatening to fall suddenly, perhaps because she was now to things that had only recently become past tense. "It wasn't just a job to her; surgery wasn't either. Surgery had been her passion, and now this was too. It wasn't just solving the crimes and putting the killer behind bars. It was… finding out what really happened to the person, so that their story could be understood. Righting the situation in which they had been wronged, as much as she could. ...I wish you could have seen how passionate she would get sometimes." She was starting to cry now, and so she decided it was better to let someone else take over. "And then… The next thing I would talk about is Alyssa, but she insisted she wants to talk, so I'm going to let her take over now. You all know everything after that."

She took a seat as Alyssa took her place. There was no microphone necessary with such a small group, so she just stood there. Truth be told Maria had tried to dissuade her, thinking this would be incredibly difficult for her, but Alyssa was really determined.

"I'm Alyssa," she said, "And I already know all of you too. But, um… Naomi…

"I met her when I found a sick kitty. I took the kitty to her 'cause she's-was- a doctor. And she made the kitty all better! Then I became friends with the kitty, Chloe, and then I became friends with Naomi!" She smiled at the happy memories. "Somebody… Somebody tried to hurt Naomi," she said, and now her eyes were becoming wet. "But instead, it was my house that got exploded. And… I was okay thanks to her and you guys, but my mom and dad were gone." She was not the only one in the room crying, and not even just Maria. Even already knowing the story, there was something particularly sad about seeing nine year old Alyssa retelling how she had been saved by the woman whose funeral she was speaking at… her adoptive mother, after her original parents had been lost less than two years ago. "I was really scared, 'cause nobody would tell me what was gonna happen to me. But then, Naomi said I could live with her, and she would take care of me. ...She told me I didn't have to think of her as my mom, 'cause I'd already had a mom, but she _was_ my mom. She was just my other mom." The second mom she had lost.

"Naomi was really nice. She learned how to cook for me, and she played with me a lot and read me a lot of stories. I love her a lot." After being quiet for a few seconds, she looked at Maria. "I don't know what else I should say."

"That's okay. I think that covers it." She held her arms open for Alyssa to come get a hug.

Naomi had never really been religious, so that was the extent of the gathering's planned events. After this, they would go to the cemetery, where Naomi would be buried. After hugging Alyssa, she had stood to say something about that, when Esha, also standing, spoke instead.

"C'mere. All of you." She gestured, and it was obvious she was initiating a big group hug. Some of them were a bit more hesitant, but Esha was stubborn and wouldn't let them refuse. So once everybody was in it, she spoke again.

"All of us are going to miss her terribly… but we have each other. We'll get through this."


End file.
